San Bernardino Nurses to Picket for Patient Safety, Address Staffing Crisis

Nurses at San Bernardino County Raise Concerns Over Patient Safety and Staffing Issues

Registered nurses employed by San Bernardino County at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, California, will conduct an informational picket on October 1. The action aims to draw attention to patient safety concerns, including understaffing and the failure of management to recruit and retain experienced nurses, as announced by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU).

Veronica Morales, a registered nurse, expressed the gravity of the situation: “We are seeing experienced nurses leave our hospital because they are not able to give the care they know their patients deserve. Right now, we have more than 300 nurse positions open. It is imperative that we retain experienced nurses, as these nurses are critical to helping mentor newer nurses and their experience and expertise are essential in providing our patients and our community the highest quality of care.”

Who: RNs at San Bernardino County

What: Informational Picket for Patient Safety

When: Tuesday, Oct. 1, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Where: Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, 400 N Pepper Ave, Colton, Calif.

In front of the main lobby entrance

Over the past seven months, nurses have reported more than 125 incidents where patient care was compromised due to short staffing. The lack of transport teams and break-relief nurses has forced nurses to leave their patients under the supervision of charge nurses during breaks or patient transfers within the hospital. This situation detracts from the charge nurses' primary responsibilities, which include supporting unit nurses and managing patient flow and assignments, thus impacting the quality of patient care.

There is growing concern among nurses about a county proposal to add a contract provision allowing the cancellation of nurses' scheduled shifts if the patient census is low. Nurses argue that this practice is risky for patients, as census numbers can change significantly over a 12-hour shift. If the patient count rises unexpectedly, there may not be enough nurses available to provide adequate care.

Leslie Oyes, a registered nurse in the burn unit, commented, “The county is proposing to cut scheduled staff at any time, when we are always in need of more staff. We do not have enough staff to begin with, and this proposal will make a bad situation even worse. We are fighting to protect safe staffing processes so we can provide the best patient care for the community.”

Nurses have been negotiating for a new union contract since April and are urging management to invest in nursing staff by agreeing to a contract that expands health and safety provisions. In August, nurses voiced their concerns at a San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors meeting.

Diana Lucatero, a registered nurse in the medical intensive care unit, highlighted the high turnover rate among registered nurses due to the staffing crisis: “We are constantly being asked to do more with less. This translates into patients not getting the care they deserve.”

CNA represents more than 1,500 registered nurses in San Bernardino County.

California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with more than 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and nearly 225,000 RNs nationwide.